


Put a Bow on It

by artist_artists



Category: Glee
Genre: Christmas, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-23
Updated: 2013-12-23
Packaged: 2018-01-05 19:36:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1097808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artist_artists/pseuds/artist_artists
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ryder decides to ask Unique out in an unconventional way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Put a Bow on It

**Author's Note:**

> This is the ficlet that I sent out to those of you who wanted Rynique with your holiday cards. It takes place around Christmas of 2013 - so, in real time, right about now. In show time, about six months from now. 
> 
> Happy Holidays, everyone :)

When Ryder catches up to Unique in the school parking lot after their last glee club meeting before Christmas break to give her his gift, he’s nervous. The glee club has already exchanged gifts via Secret Santa, and everyone had revealed themselves this afternoon. They’d picked names out of a hat earlier in the month, and Ryder had been desperately hoping to get Unique, but it hadn’t worked out. He’d picked Dottie’s name, and had to rethink his plan to ask Unique out via Christmas gift. It would have been _perfect_ , but even without the fun of the surprise, he still wanted to execute his plan. Now that he’s about to actually do it, though, it’s a little scary. _I should have just gotten her a Sephora gift card_ , he thinks as he greets her. _At least then I could have played it off as a friendly gift if she’s not still interested._

“Hi,” she says when she turns around. “Do you need a ride home?”

“No, no, I just… well, yes, actually, that too, but I have a present I wanted to give you, actually.” He hands her the wrapped gift, and she cocks her head in confusion.

“But you had Dottie for Secret Santa, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, this is something not Secret Santa-related,” Ryder tells her. “I didn’t want to give it to you in front of everyone else and make them jealous or anything.”

“Well, I won’t say no to more presents. Kitty meant well, I think, but that bra is _way_ too small for all of this,” she says, indicating her chest. Ryder wills himself not to look down at her chest and get distracted from the task at hand. “I didn’t get you anything, though,” Unique adds, frowning.

“That’s fine, this isn’t really anything much. It’s just… well, open it?”

“Okay.” She tears into the festive green foil wrapping paper as Ryder waits with bated breath for her reaction. To his dismay, when she gets her first sight of the gift, she frowns. “Is this a joke?” She lifts her gaze from the framed picture she just unwrapped to Ryder, looking betrayed.

“What? No, not at all, it’s…”

“It’s a framed collage of shirtless pictures of you,” she finishes, her voice flat. “Look, Ryder, I know what I did wasn’t fair to you, but I’ve apologized a million times and-”

“It’s not a joke!” Ryder insists. He had prepared himself for the possibility that she might turn down his offer, but he hadn’t expected her to be offended, and he’s not sure how to handle it. “I mean, it is a joke, a little? But not a mean one! It’s just… you always wanted shirtless pictures of me, so I thought you would like it? And Sam thought it was a really good way to ask you out, and when he was home for Thanksgiving we had a little photoshoot, and Blaine helped me choose the best pictures, and…” he trails off when he notices that Unique has gone from looking upset to looking shocked. “What?”

“A good way to ask me out?”

“Well, yeah. I thought you would think me holding the sign asking you out in the picture was funny, and also… you know… whatever,” Ryder says, flustered. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean anything bad by it.”

Unique looks back down at the picture. “Oh my God,” she breathes. “I did not even see that.”

Ryder waits a minute for her to continue, to maybe _answer the question_ so he can calm down, but she stays quiet, eyes glued to her gift, and eventually Ryder can’t stop himself from rambling. “It’s just that we’ve been spending so much time together lately, and it’s been great, right? I mean, I think it’s been great, but maybe it’s just me, I don’t know. But we have a lot of fun together, and… God, I thought this would be less stressful than like, just asking you out the normal way, but it’s really, really not.”

Unique finally tears her eyes away from the picture to look at Ryder again. “Sorry, sorry,” she says. “I’m just… distracted. But yes, of course, we have fun, I just didn’t really know if you… “ she trails off, then shakes her head. “But you do. And yes, we should go out. Yes!”

“YES!” Ryder echoes, pumping his fist in the air, and Unique gives him a huge, bright smile. “Awesome. Do you want to go now? We could get coffee or something before you drop me off?”

Unique raises an eyebrow. “Boy, if you think I am going on my first date _ever_ without at least three hours to primp, you are horribly mistaken.”

“Tomorrow?” Ryder asks, trying not to sound too disappointed.

“Tomorrow,” Unique agrees with a nod. “Though I will drop by the Lima Bean on our way to your house this afternoon and allow you to treat me to a pre-date latte.” She’s still grinning, eyes bright and glittering with joy, and Ryder strongly suspects that after her suggestion, his face looks quite similar.

“I’ll take that deal,” he says, holding out his arm so Unique can link elbows with him.

She takes his hand instead.


End file.
